Frequently Asked Questions

How did the Village Review planning initiative get started?

The Village Review is in response to Council approval of the Comprehensive Official Plan Amendment No. 76 (OPA 76), which included a Council Motion:

To undertake a review of Village Plans on a five-year basis that includes:

An analysis of changes in the previous five years;
A review of any existing secondary plan or community design plan for the Village;
At least one public meeting to consider needs and challenges;
A report to Council on the Village and any required policy initiatives.

(Motion 68/23; to be included in Official Plan Section 3.71, Policy 6)

This motion was carried at the June 10, 2009 City Council meeting. The Planning and Growth Management Department has committed to reviewing all Village Plans which are five years or older in order to inform the next Official Plan comprehensive update.

Where are the City’s Village Plans found?

The Village Plans are found in the City of Ottawa Official Plan (provide a link to the Official Plan). The Official Plan provides a vision of the future growth of the city and a policy framework to guide its physical development to the year 2021. It is a legal document that addresses matters of provincial interest defined by the Provincial Policy Statement under the Ontario Planning Act.

Volume 1 of the Official Plan designates the City’s 26 Villages and provides general policy to guide development in all 26 villages.

Volume 2A and 2B of the Official Plan contains the City’s Secondary Plans. A Secondary Plan provides a greater level of detail to how certain areas of the City are to develop. Volume 2C contains specific Village Secondary Plans. With the exception of the North Gower, Richmond and Manotick which had Secondary Plans approved by Council after amalgamation, –all of the Village Plans in the Official Plan – Volume 2 were extracted from the Former City or Township Official Plans prior to amalgamation. As such the current structure of the Village Secondary Plans is through referencing the Former City or Township

In addition to Volume 1 of the City’s Official Plan and Volume 2C: Village Secondary Plan’s, there are also Community Design Plans and a Neighbourhood Planning Initiative in the rural area which provide a greater level of detail to how certain villages are to develop. The Villages with a Community Design Plan are:

A Community Design Plan [CDP] translates the principles and policies of the Official Plan to the community scale. A CDP works with the community, landowners, local businesses, school boards and other interested parties on issues that will be the backbone of any significant change in a community. All CDP’s must conform to the Official Plan.

In 2010 the Village of Vars completed a Neighbourhood Planning Initiative [NPI]. A NPI is a new process at the City and provides an integrated planning process that links land use, community services and infrastructure planning to improve the overall quality of life for residents today and in the future. NPI works with residents at the neighbourhood level and leverages local knowledge to identify social, cultural, economic, and environmental needs, priorities and concerns. The Vars NPI contains a number of land uses recommendations that will be addressed as part of the village plan review exercise of the Vars Secondary Plan.

In summary the City’s Village Plans are found in a variety of formats: Secondary Plans, Community Design Plans or a Neighbourhood Planning Initiative, or a combination of the three.

What is the Village Review planning initiative?

The Village Review will evaluate and consult on 24 of the designated Villages in an effort to review the existing planning policy which guides development. The review will include:

An analysis of changes in the previous years.

A review has not been done since amalgamation (2001). The analysis will therefore examine the previous 10 years, and include information on:
Population & dwelling units
Development rates and development potential for each village;
Land use and changes since 2001
Employment
Village characterization – what makes the village special

An analysis of the current Village Plan

Have the policies achieved the desired effect
Are changes required
Next steps

A public meeting to consider needs and challenges

Present the information in steps a) and b) above for discussion and comments
Conduct a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis for each village
Create a vision for the village

Report to ARAC on the Village and any required policy initiatives

Future work items required to support villages based on the results of the community consultation;
Amendments to the Village Plans to update and improve policies based on the community consultation

What Villages are part of the Villages Review?

There are 24 villages that are included in the Village Review. Each village has been analyzed individually. More detailed information on each village is provided, please follow the links below:


Ashton	Burritt’s Rapids	Carp
Carlsbad Springs	Constance Bay	Cumberland
Dunrobin	Fallowfield	Fitzroy Harbour
Galatta	Greely	Kars
Kenmore	Kinburn	Manotick
Marionville	Metcalfe	Munster
Navan	Notre Dams des Champs	Osgoode
Sarsfield	Vars	Vernon

* The Village Plans for North Gower (2008) and Richmond 2010) were recently completed and are therefore not part of five year review process.

What processes have already occurred as part of the Village Review?

The Planning and Growth Management Department has taken two reports on the Rural Village project to the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee (ARAC). The first report was taken in July 2009 and provided a general introduction into the Rural Review project and its components. The second report was taken in February 2010 and provided details on the Village Review project framework and a public consultation strategy.

How is the project connected to the Drive Thru project?

Currently, the Official Plan and Zoning By-law permit drive-through facilities in commercial zones which are typically located on the edge of villages. They do not generally permit drive-through facilities in village core areas or mainstreets.

On March 24, 2010, City Council approved Official Plan amendment No. 84 .This amendment provided new policies for the Central Area and Village designations stating that drive-through facilities will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances through a site-specific zoning by-law amendment. A commitment was made to develop new policies to guide this decision. In order to develop these new policies, the Official Plan has directed that a study be done.

How can the community get involved in the Village Review?

The Planning and Growth Management Department will be coming out to the rural area to consult with the public on the Village Review project. Please see the individual village pages for more detail on upcoming public consultation processes happening in your area.

For more information on the Village Review, please see contact Emily Davies at plan@ottawa.ca.

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